jenney



W. P. JENNEY.

FIN GUARD FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION man NOV. 8. m3. nzuswco JAN. 9. I917.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- Jammy, 6y

GUM my W. P. JENNEY.

FIN GUARD FOR VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 8. :913. RENEWED JAN. 9.1911.

1,313,946. Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

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, vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER P. JENNEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FIN-GUARD FOR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 8, 1913, Serial No. 799,908. Renewed January 9, 1917. Serial No. 141,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER P. JENNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Imthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improved fin guards for vessels in general, and has for its objects to provide a means which will protect the propellers, which will lessen the settling or squatting of the stern at high speeds, and one which. will also aid in increasing the speed of the vessel.

WVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and location of the parts more fully hereinafterdisclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims,

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the stern of a vessel provided with my fin guards r Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig, 1;

F ig. 3 is a plan view showing the guards applied to a vessel having more than two propellers Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3; 1!

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4:; and, i

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6() of Fig. 4.

Referring especially to Figs. 1 and 2, 1

5 speed for which the vessel was designed.

When thus inclined they offer no material the rise and fall of the stern or resistance to the passage of the vessel through the water, while they support the stern and materially lessen the well known settling or squatting so often observed in vessels driven at high speed. This lessening of the settling of the stern serves to maintain the vessels trim at high speeds and is accompanied by a decrease in resistance to her passage through the water. For this reason my guards permit the vessel to be driven at thesame speed with less power, or to be driven at a higher speed with the same power, than would be the case if my said fins or guards were not employed.

Further, these guards being normally submerged to a depth providing a clearance for the propellers, tend very materially to lessen the pitching of the vessel. They also tend to prevent the stern from rising in ordinary sea ways to a height sullicient for the propeling interposed between the propellers and the surface of the water, shut off access of air from the surface to the propellers, and 1n thls way prevent cavitation.

Another important function of these guards is to protect the propellers fromv injury, as from collisions withdocks, with locks of canals, by striking floating timber and in other ways. This said function becomes more important in long and narrow vessels having two or more screws, and in which the overhang of the counters is not sufficient to afford the above protection.

In the form of vessel disclosed in Figs. I to 6 wherein four propellers are provided, I place a guard over each propeller. In this case, the forward edges of the forward guards 6 are slightly inclined downward as before in order to conform to the stream lines over the forward propellers 2, and the forward edges of the rear guards 10 are slightly inclined upward to conform to the stream lines over the rear propellers 11. In other words, since the stream lines first incline upward or rise over the forward propellers, and then curve downward as they pass over the rear propellers, as shown, the

various types, yet generally, involve fiat arms or loops of metal extending aroundor encircling the propellers. These said prior submerged guards are likewise incapable of V rudders.

i screws as are my guards. V

In addition to placing my fins or guards at such an inclination to the plane ofthe normal load waterline, as to make them conperforming the functions of myrguardsa My invention should'likewise be carefully distinguished'from the well-known diving These are usually adjustable, while my guardsare fixed, and in addition, these said ruddersare never placed over the form to the stream lines for a selected speed,

I may sometimes makethis angle greater or less thanithat required by a strict conform- 'ity to the direction of the said stream lines. If the angle of the'forward guards islmade less, theimpulse of the water in stream line motionis exerted upon the under sides of the fins and the tendency is to lift the stern; while if the angle be made greater, theimpulseof; the water is exerted upon the upper sides of the fins, and the tendency is to depress thestern and to increase the resistance.

T The same principles apply to the rear guards, where the vessel is provided withfour screws. Inalljcases, where the fins are elevated so that the impulse of theiwater, is

.exerted on their under sides, the resultant forward component" of :thewater striking the fins will. tend'to propelwthe vessel ahead.

" .But, of course, this effect will become greater 7 as theforward edges of the fins are lifted;-

1 In somejcases, I may place the fins parallel to theplane of. the load .water'line,wheref upon the effect willbeatolift the stern, and

Gopies of this patent maybe obtained. i501 fivecents each, by addressing the Cominissioiier of Patents, l

fins may be constructed on stream line forms, and may take various shapes, such as warped surfaces, the fins of a fish, the flippers of a whale, etc. also the upper end under surfacesof said fins may be made convex or concave as the case may be, and therefore, I do notwish to be limited to any-particular shape or contour. But, they are always made sufficiently strongand' rigid to withstand any ordinary strains to which they are likely to be subjected. 1 i I This invention differs from that disclosed in my copendidng application No.*798989,

' filed Nov. 3,1913, and entitled war vessels,

in that the fins in this application are applicable to vessels in. general, whilejthe-fins insaid copending application coact with a special form of afterbody and therefore con;

stitute an element in a different combination of parts.

What I claim is,-

l. A vessel-having a plurality of pro'pellers, fins rigidly attached to said vessel, 10-

cated above said propellers,- between said propellers and the load waterline, and inclined to the plane of theloadwaterline,

substantially as described.

A vesselhaving a plurality ofpropellers, fins rigidlyattachedito the hull between said propellers and the plane of the load water line and conforming to the stream lines, of th'e vessel at a selected speed, substantially'as described. 7 3. A vessel having a plurality of propellers on each side thereof, fins attached to the hull over said ropellers and between the same and the load water line, and some of said fins being 'difierently inclined to the. Lplane of said load, water line,- substantially as described.

.- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER P. JENNEY.

Witnesses: I vT. A. WITHERSPOON,

J 0s. H. BLAoKwoon; 

